


Bite-Size Rom Com

by alba17



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-03
Updated: 2011-11-03
Packaged: 2017-10-25 16:18:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/272285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alba17/pseuds/alba17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mini-version of a typical modern office AU. Merlin has the day off and Arthur pines for him. Then he decides to do something about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bite-Size Rom Com

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt at comment_fic and expanded from that. Drowning in cliches and slightly ridiculous. Many thanks to significantowl for the beta.

Arthur sipped his coffee and winced at the bitterness, missing Merlin’s deft hand with the the brew. Why had he given him the day off, today of all days, when the Castle Keep board was meeting? Bugger, what had he been thinking?

He sighed and pushed the button on the intercom. “Bridget, do you have the Castle Keep file? I think Merlin keeps it in the top drawer. Under ‘C’.” Obviously. But the temp hadn’t shown herself to be the sharpest tool in the box. She’d arrived at 10:00, an hour late, having forgotten to adjust her clock to British Summer Time.

Merlin. Arthur mused for a moment on his personal secretary. He’d been working for Arthur for a year and had proved himself surprisingly indispensable. Things hadn’t started out that well what with Merlin pushing a file cart into Arthur his first day, thus spilling coffee all over the Castle Keep files. Just for that, Arthur promoted him to his personal secretary so he could spend the next month recreating the files. It had nothing to do with the dimples in his cheeks or the indigo blue of his eyes. Nothing whatsoever. He kept telling Morgana that.

Bridget came bustling in with a suspiciously thin file. “Bridget, that’s Cenred, not Castle Keep,” Arthur said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wondered what Merlin was doing today. Merlin had only given him hints of his personal life on rare occasions - that one time Arthur had taken him to lunch when he’d given him a raise, and another time when Morgana had invited them both for drinks. She’d made strange faces at Arthur the whole time, with little mysterious gestures toward Merlin. He still couldn’t figure out what she was on about.

Merlin had said he was going to relax today, maybe do a few errands and have lunch with a friend. Arthur tried not to obsess about the identity of the friend. It was really none of his business. But he couldn’t help remembering Merlin on the phone the other day, laughing, talking in a low voice, the way his eyes crinkled in amusement. Not that Arthur ever noticed that kind of thing. He was too busy with his important clients.

Arthur tried to concentrate on some of the documents he needed to go through for the Castle Keep meeting. But his mind kept wandering to Merlin. What kind of friends did he have anyway? Merlin had invited Arthur to a party at his flat once. Arthur couldn’t go - busy with a client dinner. He had mentioned a roommate. Bill, was that his name? Arthur couldn’t quite remember, but apparently he was overly fond of Guinness and never cleaned the bathroom.

As the morning wore on, somehow the question of Merlin’s soap seemed so much more interesting than Castle Keep’s profit and loss statement. He bet anything that Merlin liked those fruity soaps instead of something manly and bracing. Arthur blew out a breath and took another sip of weak, watery coffee, telling himself to get it together. It was one day, that was all.

 

“Arthur, make sure to review those contracts before tomorrow morning.” Uther pierced him with a determined gaze, as if he could read Arthur’s wayward thoughts.

“Yes, sir, I certainly will,” Arthur replied.

The meeting had been interminable and god-awful boring. Arthur made his presentation at the beginning. After that, Uther’s voice droned on and on and the numbers soon swam before Arthur’s eyes. It wasn’t long before he was discreetly texting Merlin. After five texts, he gave up. Why didn’t Merlin text him back? He was supposed to be having a day off, but really, how did he know Arthur wasn’t having an emergency? “What are you wearing today?” and “What kind of coffee beans do you use?” didn’t exactly exude an air of urgency, but still. Arthur needed him. To, um, be there for general support, yeah, that was it, since Bridget was a complete fuck-up.

Finally, the meeting ended with a handshake all around and promises to send signed contracts the next day. Arthur surged out of his chair and was headed for the lift when Uther reminded him to review the contracts. As soon as he could disentangle himself, he was sitting in a taxi giving the driver Merlin’s address. He’d had the foresight to save it in his phone a few weeks earlier when he happened to come across Merlin’s personnel file. Randomly, of course.

The car pulled up to Merlin’s building in a slightly seedy part of town. Arthur ignored the ramshackle corner shop and suspicious blokes hanging about, passing around something Arthur strongly suspected wasn’t a cigarette if the smell was anything to go by, and assertively walked up the front steps. He surveyed the flat buzzers. “Grand Wizard (Merlin)/Young Workers United (Will)” read the label to 4D.

Dear god. Arthur sighed and pressed the buzzer.

“Who is it?” said Merlin.

“A tool of the oppressor,” Arthur said.

He heard some static, and then the door buzzed to let him in.

Four floors. He had to walk up four floors to get to Merlin’s flat up a stairway suffused with the smell of frying fish from the chip shop next door. No wonder Merlin was so skinny. When he finally made it up to the fourth floor landing, Merlin already had the door open.

“Arthur! What are you doing here?” Merlin looked at him in surprise, a rag in his hand.

“Erm, well.” Now that he was here, the overwhelming need that had initially propelled him came to a grinding halt. Why was he here? Logic didn’t provide an answer. “I just, um, needed to tell you the Castle Keep deal went through.”

“You came all the way here to tell me that, on my day off.” Merlin raised an eyebrow.

“You weren’t answering my texts!” Arthur huffed. “I thought it merited a report in person.” He inwardly cringed at the ridiculous explanation but the indulgently fond look on Merlin’s face was worth it.

“Okay then. I’ve had my phone turned off. It’s _supposed_ to be my day off.” Merlin threw the rag on an easel nearby. “Would you like some coffee or tea? Seeing as you came all the way here.” A painting stood on the easel, broad swathes of bold colours. So Merlin was a painter. Arthur was glad his impetuous little adventure had revealed at least one heretofore-unknown fact about Merlin’s life.

“Coffee, please,” Arthur breathed, pleased that he didn’t have to let a day pass without Merlin’s special brew. “You know I’m addicted to your coffee.”

Merlin smirked as he led him into the kitchen. “It’s all part of my master plan to take over the universe. Sorry for the mess. Been busy.” He pulled coffee beans and a filter out of the cabinet. “I like to paint on my days off. I’m having a show at my friend Gwen’s gallery in a couple of months. Well, gallery...” He made a dismissive gesture. “It’s more like a café with a few pictures on the wall, but I’m excited to have the exposure.”

Arthur noticed the stacks of paintings lined up along the edges of the flat, leaning up against the walls. They were beautiful abstracts that hinted at planets and constellations, layers upon layers of deep colour. “Why didn’t I know about this? These are marvellous.” He walked back into the lounge to take a better look. “You’re really talented, Merlin. You must let me know when the show is. I’ll drag Morgana along and we’ll buy something.”

Merlin blushed. “Okay. Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “You don’t have to.”

“Happy to.” Arthur smiled at him. Merlin smiled back and there was a moment of silence while they gazed at each other. Arthur admired how relaxed Merlin seemed outside of the office, in his jeans and T-shirt, a ratty black cardigan wrapped around his lean torso, red Converse spattered with paint. It was a good look. Arthur wouldn’t mind seeing Merlin like this all the time.

“You’ve got...” Arthur gestured to Merlin’s hair. “There’s...”

“What?”

Arthur put a hand up to Merlin’s tousled hair where there was a big blue streak of paint. “Here. There’s some blue paint.” Merlin seemed much closer than he had a moment ago. Arthur’s hand wavered in the air above Merlin’s hair. He was so tempted to touch it. It looked wavy and soft. What was wrong with him?

“Oh,” Merlin said. The blue of his eyes was striking, the shape curved at the edges, ridged with thick black lashes.

Arthur felt pinned in place by Merlin’s gaze, all conscious thought obliterated. “I, uh...” He found himself leaning in closer, drawn in by the full, ripe look of Merlin’s mouth. Since when had it been so...kissable? It seemed imperative that he find out exactly what those lips would feel like against his own, how they would taste. He didn’t know what he was doing--this was crazy. But something pulled him forward. Merlin stared at him, unmoving, and Arthur pushed down a small flare of doubt.

Just before their lips met, Merlin sharply inhaled, a soft rush of air that seemed to invite Arthur to close the final gap. He kissed Merlin gently, lingering on that lush lower lip. Still not entirely sure of the situation, he half expected Merlin to pull away, protest somehow. He didn’t. Instead he responded to the small movement of Arthur’s lips, adjusting his head so their mouths better fit together.

Arthur couldn’t help the little moan that escaped him. He put his hand on Merlin’s waist, slipped his tongue between his lips. It was like coming home, warm and welcoming, with a hint of that delectable coffee whispering at the edges. All at once he was desperate to make up for lost time and plunged his tongue deep into Merlin’s mouth, folding him tightly in his arms as if to prevent him from running away. To his relief, Merlin melted into him and returned the kiss with equal fervour.

“Arthur, I, “ Merlin gasped for air. “I don’t know if we should...You’re my boss...”

“Shut up, Merlin,” Arthur growled before kissing him again. He couldn’t believe he was about to say this, but now it was all so clear. He prided himself on his decisiveness and having discovered all these new, wondrous things about Merlin, there was no doubt in his mind that he could improve matters greatly. In an instant, a plan had crystallised in his head and he didn’t want to waste another moment. He took Merlin’s face in his hands. “Listen. Talent like yours needs space to grow and flourish.”

Merlin arched a brow.

“I know this is all a bit sudden, but I’m sure it’s the right thing to do.” Arthur took a deep breath before continuing. “You’re going to quit and I’m setting you up in your own studio.” He beamed at Merlin and took his hands in his, swinging them slightly. “That way you can concentrate on your painting and not worry about having a day job.”

Merlin’s mouth hung slack with shock. “What? Are you sure?”

“You’re not that attached to being my personal assistant, are you? You’ve always said I was a complete prat.”

“And you assuming I’ll go along with this plan of yours is not a bit prattish, is it?” Merlin muttered, looking away. “Bossy,” he said with a small smile that made Arthur relax a bit. He hadn’t realised how tightly he was holding himself.

Merlin snorted. “But, you know, when you put it like that...I never thought I could make a go of my painting while holding down a full-time job,” he said, looking thoughtful. “And this would allow me to put my all into it. And,” he said, running his hand up Arthur’s arm, “we’d have more time to get to know each other outside of the office.”

“That’s settled then.” Arthur slid a hand into Merlin’s hair and pulled him close. “You don’t mind being a kept man, do you?” he murmured into his ear.

“On one condition. Well, two.”

“Whatever you say.” Arthur was feeling generous.

“You take a commission like any other agent and you sit as my first model. I’ve been dying to see what’s underneath all these business suits.” A sly smile spread on Merlin’s face as he ran a hand down Arthur’s chest.

“Done and done,” Arthur said, giving Merlin a lip-smacking kiss.

“A full nude sounds like a good place to start, don’t you think?” Merlin started to loosen Arthur’s tie and unbutton his shirt.

“Um.” Hesitating, he curled a hand around Merlin’s wrist to hold him still, stunned at how swiftly things were progressing. But then he saw the heated look in Merlin’s eyes and warmth spread in his belly. What the hell. He was never one to do things in halves.

“All right. Why not?” He drew Merlin in for another kiss, this time letting his lips linger, nibbling at that gorgeous pout. Merlin leaned into him and pulled Arthur’s hips flush against him so they pressed together in one long, searing line, chests heaving slightly with the rise and fall of their breaths.

“You don’t know how much time I’ve spent admiring this,” Arthur said, his mouth hot against the skin of Merlin’s neck, giddy at the closeness of their bodies. Merlin’s pulse drummed under his lips. “And there are a few other things I’d like to get my mouth on.” Arthur’s hand drifted down to the top of Merlin’s jeans. Could they be any tighter? “How come you never wore these to the office? That would have really livened things up.”

“I doubt you or your father would consider it appropriate work attire.”

“It’s a moot point now, isn’t it? You can probably dispense with trousers altogether now.” Arthur had a vision of Merlin capering about his flat in only a painter’s smock and a beret, brush in hand. Did artists actually wear berets? If any did, Merlin was sure to be among them. Arthur had seen his scarves.

“Does your father know you’re really a shameless exploiter of starving artistes?”

“Hardly starving. I’m familiar with your salary, remember?” He started to pull off his jacket. “Aren’t you going to paint me now?” he said, smirking.

“Hmm, well, maybe we have some other things to take care of first,” Merlin said. He tugged Arthur’s button-down out of his waistband, reaching for the skin underneath.

“Yeah, I think we do. You probably better make sure I come up to your standards.”

“Absolutely.” Merlin started to unbutton Arthur’s shirt. Halfway down he paused, eyes on Arthur’s chest. “Sorry, I just...I’ve thought about this a lot.” Merlin trailed a hand down the expanse of skin and slid his fingers under the shirt. “Lovely.” His hands were cool and gentle, skidding along Arthur’s ribs down to his waist. His hand came to rest on Arthur’s belt and hooked into it so his knuckles grazed Arthur’s belly. He raised his eyes to Arthur’s and the look there was so intimate, so open and unguarded, it made Arthur’s breath hitch. They were definitely charting new territory.

Merlin leaned in to press their lips together, a hand on the small of Arthur’s back. Warmth buzzed along the the seam of Arthur’s mouth as Merlin kissed him harder, leaned his weight into him and grabbed his hips to walk him backward until the back of his legs hit a small sofa. Merlin managed to topple him over and slide into his lap without breaking the kiss.

They kissed for long moments, Merlin’s tongue warm and soft, lapping into Arthur’s mouth like a cat licking up cream, his fingers playing with the hair on Arthur’s nape, while Arthur’s hands roamed over Merlin’s body, familiarising himself with it. It felt as wiry and lithe as it appeared, all long, lean muscles and smooth ivory skin. Occasionally he found himself staring helplessly into Merlin’s eyes and they’d grin foolishly at each other before resuming their explorations.

Arthur’s hands strayed over Merlin’s tight jeans to cup his increasingly obvious erection. When he pressed in, Merlin deepened the kiss, delving his tongue far into Arthur’s mouth. With his own tongue, Arthur chased the delectable taste, spreading his hand over Merlin’s hipbone and slim arse.

“Let’s get these off of you,” Arthur murmured, fingering the button at the top of Merlin’s jeans, his pulse quickening at the thought. Merlin squirmed in his lap. “You’re about to pop out of them.”

Merlin snorted. “They’re stretchy.”

“Not that stretchy.”

Merlin wriggled out of them with Arthur’s help. His cock sprung out, dark against his pale stomach. Arthur stared as he took in its size. Merlin was already extremely aroused. Mouth watering, Arthur trailed his fingers up its taut length; a bead of moisture emerged from the red, swollen tip. “Merlin,” he said, voice tight with anticipation, before shoving him off his lap so Arthur could kneel between his knees.

Arthur eagerly swallowed down Merlin’s dick. Like velvet, it slid full and insistent against his lips.The tight suction pulled a strangled sound from Merlin’s throat, sending a fresh bolt of desire straight to Arthur’s groin that left him breathless and aching.

He needed more. His fingers clutched at Merlin’s hips, urging him to thrust deeper. In response, Merlin surged forward with a grunt, sliding farther down Arthur’s throat, a hand clawing at Arthur’s hair. Arthur breathed out and tried to relax his throat, let all of Merlin in. He could feel Merlin’s legs tense, the long line of his thigh muscles quivering under the weight of Arthur’s arms. Arthur wanted to wring Merlin dry, tease endless sounds of pleasure from those lips, memorise every curve of muscle and wrinkle of skin. He regretted every moment they’d wasted darting furtive looks at each other under fluorescent lights, awkwardly shifting and trading barbs, when they could have been doing this.

Arthur could hear Merlin’s breath coming more quickly, in pants, his nails lightly scraping Arthur's shoulders as Arthur gripped the thick base of Merlin’s cock, teased the underside with his tongue. The fabric of Arthur's dress trousers was taut with the swelling of his own cock. He pressed a hand to himself without thinking, needing to take off the edge of his desire as he concentrated on pleasuring Merlin to the best of his ability. There hadn't been many opportunities for him to practise recently. Perhaps he'd been unknowingly saving himself - he just hadn’t known for who. With today’s unexpected epiphany, he felt free to give it his all, a fragile sense of devotion to Merlin budding in every stroke of his tongue, every press of his lips.

Merlin strained up in a sudden surge and a groan wrenched out of him as he came in a gush in Arthur’s mouth. Arthur vaguely thought—condoms—but it was too late now. He embraced the moment as an opportunity to feel closer to Merlin, to taste every part of him, suckling his cock as it gradually lost its vigour, the erection slackening slightly in his mouth. Merlin’s hands tangled in his hair and gently stroked.

After a few moments, Merlin roused himself from his post-orgasmic haze to pull Arthur up so they half-reclined together, Arthur’s head on Merlin’s chest. His hands found their way under Merlin’s shirt to caress the warm skin at his waist, over his ribs. Merlin’s stomach was flat and taut, the come cooling in a sticky swathe and Arthur leaned down to lick at it, to follow the fine line of dark hair that led downward, nipping and sucking at the skin as he went.

Merlin giggled, suddenly ticklish. “Come here,” he said, and pulled Arthur up to lavish his mouth with kisses. “You have hidden talents, Mr. Pendragon. I think it’s safe to say you meet my standards and then some.”

“Hmm, do I now? Glad to hear it.” Merlin’s mouth was cool now and Arthur took his time licking into it, letting the heat softly swirl anew between them until Arthur’s whole body tensed with excitement again. He found himself bearing his weight down against Merlin, who wrapped his arms around him and held him tightly, making gentle murmuring sounds of pleasure. In a lazy movement, their hips ground against each other other, then with building energy. Merlin was already sated, but the increased friction made Arthur desperate for completion. He gripped Merlin’s hair and shoulders, rucked his shirt up to lave greedily at his nipples, rub his face against his chest.

Down Merlin’s arms his hands trailed, his mouth whispering a happy grin against Merlin’s skin. Then he stretched Merlin's arms above his head and pinned his wrists so their bodies stretched out long against each other, every inch of Merlin arching up into him, filling the empty spaces with his warm, pliant self. A wanton smile played on his lips, and his hair was completely trashed, matted on his forehead and sticking out every which way on top of his head. It was thoroughly charming. Arthur smiled inanely at him, overwhelmed for a moment at the sudden blossoming of hope and love that unfurled deep inside him. He buried his face in Merlin’s neck, softly speaking his name.

Merlin kissed his cheeks then rolled their hips together, reaching down to scramble with the flies of Arthur’s trousers, thrust his hand in his pants and pull out his cock. Arthur’s blood thrilled with the skin on skin contact--finally. His eyes fell closed as Merlin stroked him. Fresh sparks of lust licked into his belly, his cock hard as marble in Merlin’s hand. Merlin bit into his neck, just a nip at first, then sharper, a drag of teeth towards his collarbone that brought Arthur right to the edge. Borne on the wave of his newly-discovered feelings for Merlin, he shuddered as he spurt over Merlin’s hand.

Limbs tangled with Merlin’s, Arthur lay in a daze, trying to make sense of how his life had just been turned upside down. And to think that that morning he’d thought the Castle Keep meeting was the most important thing that would happen that day.

Merlin shifted and Arthur was reminded they were both a mess. “We should probably get cleaned up,” Merlin said.

“Still want to paint me?”

“Definitely. I think a full nude would fit in right behind your desk at work, don’t you? First thing your clients would see. You’d have no trouble closing contracts. Either that or they’ll run screaming from the room.”

“I think my father would have some words about that.”

“You can blame it on me, like you do most things.”

Arthur socked him lightly in the arm. He’d sorely miss Merlin at the office. When he thought about going to work every day and not seeing Merlin there, ready to hand with a quick smile and his specially-brewed coffee, he felt apprehensive. Was he ready for a Merlin-sized hole in his work day? Maybe his grand plan was a mistake.

Later, after some lingering kisses and a beer, Merlin made a few preliminary sketches of Arthur. Once he’d become accustomed to sitting there naked, Arthur took the opportunity to watch Merlin as he worked. Merlin bit his lower lip in concentration, his eyes darting from Arthur to his sketch and back. His face was animated in a way that Arthur had never seen when he was working at the office.

“They’re very rough,” Merlin said when he showed Arthur the sketches. He’d drawn Arthur in different poses and had captured his likeness brilliantly, his features and the way he held his body unmistakable.

“They’re fantastic, Merlin.” Arthur drew him in for a kiss. Merlin was talented, there was no doubt. He felt some guilt over wanting to keep him all to himself at the office when Merlin should be devoting himself to art full time.

After Merlin made a spaghetti dinner (thankfully Merlin’s roommate was staying over at his girlfriend’s), complete with a reenactment of the Lady and the Tramp scene that he insisted they record on Arthur’s iPhone (‘you’re not going to use that to blackmail me, are you?’ Arthur had asked, thanking the gods that Merlin wasn’t on Facebook), Arthur texted a message to Bridget: _Cancel all meetings tomorrow. Important errand to run. Will take all day._

Squished into Merlin’s single bed (‘what kind of grown-up has a single bed, Merlin?’), with Merlin’s laptop perched on top of them, they pulled up the real estate listings for properties suitable for an art studio.

“Tomorrow I’ll call my realtor,” Arthur said, “and line up some appointments.” The least he could do was look into the idea, find out the cost.

“We’re really doing this, aren’t we?” Merlin looked slightly shell-shocked.

Arthur studied him. “Having second thoughts?”

“Not really. It’s just a lot to process.”

It was. But looking into Merlin’s face and recalling the light in his eyes as he sketched, Arthur felt any regret melt away, confident that he’d see enough of Merlin outside of work to make up for missing him at the office. “It’s going to be brilliant. You’ll see.” Arthur kissed him, deep and slow. When he pulled away, Merlin smiled, bright.

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”

“Now.” Arthur turned back to the laptop and clicked to another page. ‘What neighbourhood shall we live in?”

Merlin rolled his eyes and buried himself under the covers.


End file.
